Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
3 December 2007
Kigali — The days for dissident General Laurent Nkunda as a thorn in the region may be numbered because the US government now backs military pressure that should eventually force him out of the country, RNA reports.
The UN and DR Congo government forces are already preparing for a major military offensive against Nkunda and his men after what diplomats there describe as failed attempt to bring Nkunda to table.
The idea of having General Nkunda leave the country was fielded sometime back with suggestions pointing to South Africa as possible destination - but was latter dropped after he backed down and agreed to have his troops join the government army.
Recent developments however indicate that international sympathizers to Nkunda feel he is personally a problem that he must be put down. However, diplomats also understand that the problem of Nkunda is coded to the presence of Rwandan extremist rebels - the forces for the liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
DR Congo has already come up with a plan to end the FDLR presence on its soil. Regional governments including Rwanda are to meet this week to assess the viability of plan.
The US government is however getting wary with General Nkunda - and seems to believe that at some point another solution has to be framed out - and that is force.
"But our concern is that the civilian population not be caught in the middle of such an offensive against Nkunda, and so we've been urging Nkunda, the government of Kabila, to try to end this through peaceful means", US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Ms. Jendayi Frazer told reporters in Washington on Sunday.
"And I think the best way is for Nkunda to go into exile."
She added; "Actually, he hasn't been willing to do that up to this point, but so it may be necessary for President Kabila to bring greater pressure on him, including military pressure."
Ms. Jendayi Frazer was briefing the media on the trip to Ethiopia by her boss the US Secretary of State Ms. Condoleezza Rice - who has Somalia, Sudan and the great lakes on her long list of concerns.
The US diplomat for Africa- whose office has been in regular phone contact with General Nkunda said the message to him has remained that he leaves the country.
"Nkunda has called him (Tim Shortley - her special envoy) several times and we've clearly conveyed the message to him that he should surrender, go into exile and allow his forces to go into brassage or to be demobilized by MONUC", she said.
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so many rwandese from rwanda have gotten advantages to the insecurity in rdc or RDK TO penetrate in and with the plot of ruberwa to get congolese citizeniship,I as I said If I go to congo and bring those so called rwandese congolese I will tell this is a rwandese from rwanda ,not this lived in kongo for long time ( we have so many rwandese coming outside from burundi ,uganda,rwanda,and tanzania all of them they are now congolese because of the tricks of ruberwa former vice president,himself is rwandese from rwanda early in 80 since the time habyarimana took power in 1973, those guysafter couple yers they went to konso the go asking for assylum so now they are kongolese by lying ,they should wait and see because the is known is just because the kongo conflict was among the companies who wanted to take over the diamond mine so no body did not care but now the truth is out so the world starts to understand the real version,of genocide ,rwandese who claim to be kongolese when they are not, just because is easy to go in Kongo and be accepted by the oboriginal people without any problem so foreigners took advantages. We still getting ride of them one day.the world should know that the RDC is not a country of immigration stuff I mean we do not accept immigrants like canada,Usa,australia etc is not our system the world must not blame RDC ,YOU ARE REFUGEE REMAIND REFUGEE YOU CAN OBLGATE,OR FORCEthe country which gave you assylum obtain the nationality ,we have right to to take you back to your country or ask for ressettlement to canada or usa or somewhere else,wear not obligateto offer them or give them citizeniship even if they got it by tricking we will still take it from them they do not deserve it.